Egg donation should be incentivized

When a woman donates her eggs, she undergoes months of preparation, treatments, and procedures. The process is complex and time-consuming. Sperm donation, on the other hand, is a simple process that can be done in an afternoon. It requires no medical or surgical intervention.
Because of the stark contrast in the two donation procedures, fertility experts in Denmark are asking legislators to reconsider current laws governing donation. Currently, egg and sperm donors receive 500 kroner for making a donation. Experts argue that this compensation is far too low for the time and effort involved for egg donors.

The government is hesitant to increase compensation, as they want to ensure there is no economic incentive for donating eggs or sperm. However, the country’s reproductive medicine community is suffering from a lack of egg donors, forcing recipients to travel outside of the country in search of egg donors.

Other countries compensate egg donors well. For example, Spain pays 7,000 kroner for a donated egg. Though Danish government heads maintain that they do not want to commercialize donations, they are considering regulations that would encourage more donations.